Apparatus for assisting driving and method thereof

ABSTRACT

Provided is an apparatus for assisting driving of a host vehicle, the apparatus comprising: a first sensor mounted to a host vehicle and having a field of view in front of the host vehicle, the first sensor configured to acquire front image data; a second sensor selected from a group consisting of a radar sensor and a Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensor and mounted to the host vehicle, the second sensor configured to have a field of sensing in front of the host vehicle and acquire front sensing data; a third sensor selected from a group consisting of a radar sensor and a LiDAR sensor and mounted to the host vehicle, the third sensor configured to have a field of sensing behind the vehicle and acquire rear side sensing data; and a controller including a processor configured to process the front side sensing data and the rear side sensing data; wherein the controller is configured to: in response to a lane change command being input, acquire position information and velocity information of other vehicle traveling in another lane corresponding to the lane change command based on the rear side sensing data, and output a driving signal for changing a distance between the host vehicle and a preceding vehicle based on the position information and the velocity information of the other vehicle.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0048066, filed on Apr. 21, 2020in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

The present disclosure relates to a driver assistance system, and moreparticularly, to a driver assistance system capable of avoiding a rearside collision.

2. Description of the Related Art

Generally, a vehicle refer to a moving means or a transportation meansthat travels on a road or track using fossil fuel, electricity, or thelike as a power source. Vehicles may be moved to various positionsmainly by using one or more wheels mounted on the vehicle body. Thevehicle may be moved to various positions mainly by using one or morewheels installed on the vehicle body. Such a vehicle may include athree-wheeled or four-wheeled vehicle, a two-wheeled vehicle such as amotorcycle, a construction machine, a bicycle, and a train running on arail disposed on a track.

Vehicles are the most common transportation means in modern society, andthe number of people using the vehicles is increasing. Due to thedevelopment of vehicle technology, long-distance movements are easy andlife is easy, but in places with high population density, such as inKorea, road traffic conditions deteriorate and traffic congestion oftenoccurs.

Recently, in order to reduce the burden on the driver and improveconvenience, studies on vehicles equipped with an advanced driverassistance system (ADAS) that actively provides information on vehiclestate, driver state, and surrounding environment has been activelyconducted.

Examples of advanced driver assistance systems mounted on vehiclesinclude Forward Collision Avoidance (FCA), Autonomous Emergency Brake(AEB), and Driver Attention Warning (DAW).

SUMMARY

Therefore, it is an aspect of the present disclosure to provide a driverassistance system and a control method thereof capable of performingautonomous driving safely and efficiently by adjusting a distancebetween a host vehicle and a preceding vehicle when changing lanes.

Additional aspects of the disclosure will be set forth in part in thedescription which follows and, in part, will be obvious from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the disclosure.

In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, there isprovided an apparatus for assisting driving of a host vehicle, theapparatus comprising: a first sensor mounted to a host vehicle andhaving a field of view in front of the host vehicle, the first sensorconfigured to acquire front image data; a second sensor selected from agroup consisting of a radar sensor and a Light Detection and Ranging(LiDAR) sensor and mounted to the host vehicle, the second sensorconfigured to have a field of sensing in front of the host vehicle andacquire front sensing data; a third sensor selected from a groupconsisting of a radar sensor and a LiDAR sensor and mounted to the hostvehicle, the third sensor configured to have a field of sensing behindthe vehicle and acquire rear side sensing data; and a controllerincluding a processor configured to process the front side sensing dataand the rear side sensing data; wherein the controller is configured to:in response to a lane change command being input, acquire positioninformation and velocity information of other vehicle traveling inanother lane corresponding to the lane change command based on the rearside sensing data, and output a driving signal for changing a distancebetween the host vehicle and a preceding vehicle based on the positioninformation and the velocity information of the other vehicle.

In response to the distance between the other vehicle and the hostvehicle decreasing, the controller may output the driving signal forincreasing the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle.

The controller may output the driving signal for reducing a velocity ofthe host vehicle at a predetermined ratio.

In response to the distance between the other vehicle and the hostvehicle increasing, the controller may output the driving signal forreducing the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle.

In response to the distance between the other vehicle and the hostvehicle increasing, the controller may output the driving signal forincreasing a velocity of the vehicle at a predetermined ratio.

The controller may output the driving signal for changing the distancebetween the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle base on velocityinformation of the host vehicle.

In response to a velocity of the host vehicle being less than a velocityof the other vehicle, the controller may output the driving signal forincreasing the distance between the host vehicle and the precedingvehicle.

In response to a velocity of the host vehicle being greater than avelocity of the other vehicle, the controller may output the drivingsignal for reducing the distance between the host vehicle and thepreceding vehicle.

The controller may output the driving signal for changing the distancebetween the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle based on a width of aself-lane on which the host vehicle travels.

The controller may generate a virtual path from the self-lane to theother lane based on the changed distance between the host vehicle andthe preceding vehicle and position information of the other lane.

It is an aspect of the present disclosure to provide a method ofcontrolling an apparatus for assisting driving of a host vehicle, themethod comprising: acquiring front image data; acquiring front sensingdata; acquiring rear side sensing data; and in response to a lane changecommand being input, acquiring position information and velocityinformation of other vehicle traveling in another lane corresponding tothe lane change command based on the rear side sensing data, andoutputting a driving signal for changing a distance between the hostvehicle and a preceding vehicle based on the position information andvelocity information of the other vehicle.

The outputting of the driving signal may include, in response to thedistance between the other vehicle and the host vehicle decreasing,outputting the driving signal for increasing the distance between thehost vehicle and the preceding vehicle.

The outputting of the driving signal may include outputting the drivingsignal for reducing a velocity of the host vehicle at a predeterminedratio.

The outputting of the driving signal may include, in response to thedistance between the other vehicle and the vehicle increasing,outputting the driving signal for reducing the distance between theother vehicle and the host vehicle.

The outputting of the driving signal may include, in response to thedistance between the other vehicle and the host vehicle increasing,outputting the driving signal for increasing a velocity of the hostvehicle at a predetermined ratio.

The outputting of the driving signal may include outputting the drivingsignal for changing the distance between the host vehicle and thepreceding vehicle based on velocity information of the host vehicle.

The outputting of the driving signal may include, in response to avelocity of the host vehicle being less than a velocity of the othervehicle, outputting the driving signal for increasing the distancebetween the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle.

The outputting of the driving signal may include, in response to avelocity of the host vehicle being greater than a velocity of the othervehicle, outputting the driving signal for reducing the distance betweenthe host vehicle and the preceding vehicle.

The outputting of the driving signal may include outputting the drivingsignal for changing the distance between the host vehicle and thepreceding vehicle based on a width of a self-lane on which the hostvehicle travels.

The outputting of the driving signal may include generating a virtualpath from the self-lane to the other lane based on the changed distancebetween the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle and positioninformation of the other lane.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects of the disclosure will become apparent andmore readily appreciated from the following description of theembodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings ofwhich:

FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of a vehicle according to anembodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates a configuration of a driver assistance systemaccording to an embodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates a camera and a radar included in a driver assistancesystem according to an embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a distance between a host vehicle anda preceding vehicle according to an embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an operation in case of another vehicleapproaches a host vehicle according to an embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an operation in case of anothervehicle moves away from a host vehicle according to an embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a lane change operation based on alane width on which a host vehicle travels, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an operation of generating a virtualpath for vehicle change according to an embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Like numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification. Notall elements of embodiments of the present disclosure will be described,and description of what are commonly known in the art or what overlapeach other in the embodiments will be omitted.

The terms as used throughout the specification, such as part“, module”,member“, block”, etc., may be implemented in software and/or hardware,and a plurality of parts“, modules”, members“, or blocks” may beimplemented in a single element, or a single part“, module”, member“, orblock” may include a plurality of elements.

It will be further understood that the term “connect” or its derivativesrefer both to direct and indirect connection, and the indirectconnection includes a connection over a wireless communication network.

It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or“comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence ofstated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/orcomponents, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or moreother features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components,and/or groups thereof, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

In the specification, it should be understood that, when a member isreferred to as being “on/under” another member, it can be directlyon/under the other member, or one or more intervening members may alsobe present.

Although the terms “first,” “second,” “A,” “B,” etc. may be used todescribe various components, the terms do not limit the correspondingcomponents, but are used only for the purpose of distinguishing onecomponent from another component.

As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise.

Reference numerals used for method steps are just used for convenienceof explanation, but not to limit an order of the steps. Thus, unless thecontext clearly dictates otherwise, the written order may be practicedotherwise.

Hereinafter, the operating principles and embodiments of the presentdisclosure will be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of a vehicle according to anembodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the host vehicle 1 includes an engine 10, atransmission 20, a braking device 30, and a steering device 40. Theengine 10 includes a cylinder and a piston, and may generate power forthe host vehicle 1 to travel. The transmission 20 includes a pluralityof gears, and may transmit power generated by the engine 10 to a wheel.The braking device 30 may decelerate the host vehicle 1 or stop the hostvehicle 1 through friction with the wheel. The steering device 40 maychange the driving direction of the host vehicle 1.

The vehicle 1 may include a plurality of electric components. Forexample, the host vehicle 1 further includes an engine management system(EMS) 11, a transmission control unit (TCU) 21, an electronic brakecontrol module 31, an electronic power steering (EPS) 41, a body controlmodule (BCM), and a driver assistance system (DAS).

The EMS 11 may control the engine 10 in response to a driver'sacceleration intention through an accelerator pedal or a request fromthe driver assistance system 100. For example, the EMS 11 may controlthe torque of the engine 10.

The TCU 21 may control the transmission 20 in response to a driver'sshift command through a shift lever and/or a driving velocity of thehost vehicle 1. For example, the TCU 21 may adjust a shift ratio fromthe engine 10 to the wheel.

The electronic braking control module 31 may control the braking device30 in response to a driver's braking intention through a braking pedaland/or slip of wheels. For example, the electronic braking controlmodule 31 may temporarily release the braking of the wheel in responseto the slip of a wheel detected when the host vehicle 1 is braking(Anti-lock Braking Systems, ABS). The electronic brake control module 31may selectively release the braking of the wheel in response tooversteering and/or understeering detected when the host vehicle 1 issteered (Electronic stability control, ESC). In addition, the electronicbrake control module 31 may temporarily brake the wheel in response tothe slip of the wheel detected when the host vehicle 1 is driven(Traction Control System, TCS).

The electronic steering device 41 may assist the operation of thesteering device 40 so that a driver can easily manipulate the steeringwheel in response to the driver's steering intention through thesteering wheel. For example, the electronic steering device 41 mayassist the operation of the steering device 40 so as to reduce asteering force when driving at a low velocity or park, and increase thesteering force when driving at a high velocity.

The BCM 51 may control the operation of electronic components thatprovide convenience to the driver or ensure safety of the driver. Forexample, the BCM 51 may control a head lamp, a wiper, a cluster, amulti-function switch, and a direction indicator lamp.

The DAS 100 may assist the driver in manipulating (driving, braking,steering) the host vehicle 1. For example, the DAS 100 may detect asurrounding environment (e.g., another vehicle, a pedestrian, a cyclist,a lane, a road sign, etc.) around the host vehicle 1 and control thedriving and/or braking and/or steering of the host vehicle 1 in responseto the sensed surrounding environment.

Meanwhile, the above-described configurations may be provided with adriving portion 200 configured to perform acceleration and decelerationof the vehicle.

The DAS 100 may provide the driver with various functions. For example,the DAS 100 may provide a lane departure warning (LDW), a lane keepingassist (LKA), a high beam assist (HBA), an autonomous emergency braking(AEB), a traffic sign recognition (TSR), a smart cruise control (SCC), ablind spot detection (BSD), and the like.

The DAS 100 may include a camera module 101 for acquiring image dataaround the host vehicle 1 and a radar module 102 for acquiring obstacledata around the host vehicle 1. The camera module 101 may include acamera 101 a and an electronic control unit (ECU) 101 b, and mayphotograph the front of the host vehicle 1 and recognize other vehicles,pedestrians, cyclists, lanes, road signs, and the like. The radar module102 may include a radar 102 a and an electronic control unit (ECU) 102 band may acquire relative positions and relative velocities of obstacles(e.g., other vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, and the like) around thehost vehicle 1.

The DAS 100 is not limited to the diagram illustrated in FIG. 1, and mayfurther include a LiDAR configured to scan around the host vehicle 1 anddetect the obstacles.

The above described electronic components may communicate with eachother through vehicle communication network (NT). For example, theelectrical components may exchange data therebetween through Ethernet,media oriented systems transport (MOST), Flexray, controller areanetwork (CAN), local interconnect network (LIN), and the like. Forexample, the DAS 100 may transmit a driving control signal, a drivingsignal, and a steering signal to the EMS 11, the electronic brakingcontrol module 31, and the EPS 41 through a vehicle communicationnetwork NT, respectively.

FIG. 2 illustrates a configuration of a DAS according to an embodiment.FIG. 3 illustrates a camera and a radar included in a DAS according toan embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 2, the host vehicle 1 may include the driving portion200 and a driver assistance system 100.

The driving portion 200 may include various components contributing todriving the vehicle described in FIG. 1.

The DAS 100 may include a front camera 110, a front radar 120, and aplurality of corner radars 130.

The front camera 110 may have a field of view 110 a directed to thefront of the host vehicle 1 as shown in FIG. 3. The front camera 110 maybe installed, for example, on the front windshield of the host vehicle1.

The front camera 110 may photograph image the front of the host vehicle1 and acquire image data regarding the front of the host vehicle 1. Theimage data regarding the front of the host vehicle 1 may includeposition with respect to another vehicle or pedestrian or cyclist orlane located in front of the host vehicle 1.

The front camera 110 may include a plurality of lenses and an imagesensor. The image sensor may include a plurality of photodiodes forconverting light into electrical signals, and the plurality ofphotodiodes may be arranged in a two-dimensional matrix.

The front camera 110 may be electrically connected to a controller 140.For example, the front camera 110 may be connected to the controller 140through a vehicle communication network NT, through a hard wire, orthrough a printed circuit board (PCB).

The front camera 110 may transmit the image data of the front of thehost vehicle 1 to the controller 140.

The front radar 120 may have a field of sensing 120 a directed to thefront of the host vehicle 1 as shown in FIG. 3. The front radar 120 maybe installed, for example, on a grille or a bumper of the host vehicle1.

The front radar 120 may include a transmission antenna (or atransmission antenna array) that radiates transmission radio waves tothe front of the host vehicle 1 and a reception antenna (or a receptionantenna array) that receives reflection radio waves reflected from anobstacle. The front radar 120 may acquire front radar data from thetransmission radio waves transmitted by the transmission antenna and thereflection radio waves received by the reception antenna. Front radardata may include position information and velocity information regardinganother vehicle, a pedestrian, or a cyclist located in front of the hostvehicle 1.

The front radar 120 may calculate the relative distance to the obstaclebased on the phase difference (or time difference) between thetransmission radio waves and the reflection radio waves, and calculatethe relative velocity of the object based on the frequency differencebetween the transmission radio waves and the reflected radio waves.

The front radar 120 may be connected to the controller 140 through avehicle communication network NT, a hard wire, or a printed circuitboard. The front radar 120 may transmit the front radar data to thecontroller 140.

The plurality of corner radars 130 includes a first corner radar 131installed on the front right side of the host vehicle 1, a second cornerradar 132 installed on the front left side of the host vehicle 1, athird corner radar 133 installed on the rear right side of the hostvehicle 1, and a fourth corner radar 134 installed on the rear left sideof the host vehicle 1.

The first corner radar 131 may have a field of sensing 131 a directed tothe front right side of the host vehicle 1. The first corner radar 131may be installed on the right side of a front bumper of the host vehicle1. The second corner radar 132 may have a field of sensing 132 adirected to the front left side of the host vehicle 1, and for example,may be installed on the left side of the front bumper of the hostvehicle 1. The third corner radar 133 may have a field of sensing 133 adirected to the rear right side of the host vehicle 1 and for example,may be installed on the right side of a rear bumper of the host vehicle1. The fourth corner radar 134 may have a field of sensing 134 adirected to the rear left side of the host vehicle 1 and for example,may be installed on the left side of the rear bumper of the host vehicle1.

Each of the first, second, third and fourth corner radars 131, 132, 133,and 134 may include a transmission antenna and a reception antenna. Thefirst, second, third, and fourth corner radars 131, 132, 133 and 134acquire first corner radar data, second corner radar data, third cornerradar data, and fourth corner radar data, respectively. The first cornerradar data may include distance and velocity information regardinganother vehicle, a pedestrian or a cyclist (hereinafter, referred to as“an obstacle”) existing on the front right side of the host vehicle 1.The second corner radar data may include distance information andvelocity information regarding an obstacle existing on the front leftside of the host vehicle 1. The third and fourth corner radar data mayrespectively include distance and velocity information regarding anobstacle existing on the rear right side of the host vehicle 1 anddistance and velocity information regarding an object located on therear left side of the host vehicle 1, respectively.

Each of the first, second, third, and fourth corner radars 131, 132, 133and 134 may be connected to the controller 140, for example, through avehicle communication network NT, a hard wire, or a printed circuitboard. The first, second, third, and fourth corner radars 131, 132, 133,and 134 may respectively transmit the first corner radar data, thesecond corner radar data, the third corner radar data, and the fourthcorner radar data to the controller 140.

The controller 140 may include the ECU 101 b (see FIG. 1) of the cameramodule 101 (see FIG. 1) and/or the ECU 102 b (see FIG. 1) of the radarmodule 102 (see FIG. 1), and/or a separate integrated ECU.

The controller 140 includes a processor 141 and a memory 142. Theprocessor 141 may process the front image data of the front camera 110,the front radar data of the front radar 120, and the corner radar dataof the plurality of corner radars 130, and generate a driving signal forcontrolling the driving portion 200.

For example, the processor 141 may include an image signal processor forprocessing the front image data of the front camera 110 and/or a digitalsignal processor for processing radar data of the radars 120 and 130and/or a micro control unit (MCU) for generating a driving signal and/ora steering signal.

The processor 141 may detect obstacles (e.g., another vehicle, apedestrian, a cyclist, and the like) in front of the host vehicle 1based on the front image data of the front camera 110 and the frontradar data of the radar 120.

In detail, the processor 141 may acquire position (distance anddirection) and relative velocity of the obstacles in front of the hostvehicle 1 based on the front radar data of the front radar 120. Theprocessor 141 may acquire position (direction) and type information (forexample, whether the obstacle is another vehicle, a pedestrian, acyclist, or the like) of the obstacle existing in front of the hostvehicle 1 based on the front image data of the front camera 110. Inaddition, the processor 141 may match the obstacles detected by thefront image data with the obstacles detected by the front radar data,and acquire the type information, the position and the relative velocityof the obstacles in front of the host vehicle 1 based on a result of thematching.

The processor 141 may generate a driving signal based on the typeinformation, the position, and the relative velocity of front obstacles.

For example, the processor 141 may calculate a time to collision (TTC)between the host vehicle 1 and the front obstacle based on the position(distance) and the relative velocity of the front obstacles, andtransmit a driving signal to the driving portion 200 based on a resultof comparing the TTC with a predetermined reference time.

As another example, the processor 141 may calculate a distance tocollision (DTC) based on the relative velocity of front obstacles, andwarn the driver of a collision or transmit a driving signal to thedriving portion 200 based on a result of comparing the DTC withdistances to the front obstacles.

The processor 141 may acquire position (distance and direction) andrelative velocity of the obstacles on the sides of the host vehicle 1(front right, front left, rear right, and rear left) based on cornerradar data of the plurality of corner radars 130.

The processor 141 may transmit a driving signal to the driving portion200 based on the position (distance and direction) and the relativevelocity of the obstacles on the sides of the host vehicle 1.

For example, if a collision with the front obstacles is determined basedon TTC or DTC, the processor 141 may transmit a driving signal to thedriving portion 200 to avoid collision with the front obstacles.

The processor 141 may determine whether to avoid a collision with thefront obstacles by changing the driving direction of the host vehicle 1based on the position (distance and direction) and the relative velocityof the obstacles on the sides of the host vehicle 1.

For example, if there is no obstacle located on the sides of the hostvehicle 1, the processor 141 may transmit a driving signal to thedriving portion 200 in order to avoid a collision with the frontobstacles.

If the collision with the obstacles on the sides is not predicted afterthe steering of the host vehicle 1 based on the position (distance anddirection) and the relative velocity of the obstacles on the sides, theprocessor 141 may transmit a driving signal to the driving portion 200to avoid a collision with the front obstacles.

If the collision with the obstacles on the sides is predicted after thesteering of the host vehicle 1 based on the position (distance anddirection) and the relative velocity of the obstacles on the sides, theprocessor 141 may not transmit the driving signal to the driving portion200.

The memory 142 may store programs and/or data for processing image databy the processor 141, programs and/or data for processing radar data bythe processor 141, and programs and/or data for generating a brakingsignal and/or a steering signal by the processor 141.

The memory 142 may temporarily memorize the image data received from thefront camera 110 and/or the radar data received from the radars 120 and130, and may temporarily memorize a result of processing the image dataand/or the radar data of the processor 141.

The memory 142 may not only include a volatile memory, such as an S-RAM,a D-RAM, and the like, but also include a non-volatile memory, such as aflash memory, a read only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable readonly memory (EPROM), and the like.

The DAS 100 is not limited to the diagram illustrated in FIG. 2, and mayfurther include a LiDAR configured to scan around the host vehicle 1 anddetect obstacles.

As such, the controller 140 may transmit a driving signal to the drivingportion 200 based on whether a collision with the front obstacles ispredicted.

If the obstacles on the sides does not exist or the collision with theobstacles on the sides is not predicted, the controller 140 may transmita driving signal to the driving portion 200 to avoid a collision withthe front obstacles.

The inputter 300 may receive a lane change command of the user.

The inputter 300 includes a hardware device such as various buttons,switch, pedal, keyboard, mouse, track-ball, various levers, handle,stick, and the like for inputting of the user.

According to an embodiment, a user may turn on a direction indicatorusing a lever to change a lane, and the vehicle may perform a lanechange operation based on this.

In addition, the inputter 300 may include a graphical user interface(GUI) such as a touch pad, that is, a software device for inputting ofthe user. The touch pad may be implemented as a touch screen panel (TSP)to form an inter layer structure with a display portion.

If it is composed of a touch screen panel (TSP) that forms an interlayer structure with a touch pad, the display portion may also be usedas the inputter.

If the user inputs a lane change command through the inputter, thecontroller 140 may acquire position information and velocity informationof another vehicle traveling in another lane corresponding to the lanechange command based on rear-side sensing data.

Specifically, the third corner radar and the fourth corner radardescribed above may acquire position information and velocityinformation of another vehicle traveling in the rear side of thevehicle.

Specifically, the position information may include distance anddirection information between the host vehicle and another vehicle.

The velocity information may include a relative velocity regardinganother vehicle, and the like.

The controller may output a driving signal for changing a distancebetween the host vehicle and the other vehicle based on the positioninformation and velocity information of the other vehicle.

The driving signal includes a driving signal and an acceleration signal,and refers to an overall signal involved in driving the vehicle.

If a distance between the host vehicle and the other vehicle decreases,the controller may output the driving signal to increase the distancebetween the host vehicle and the other vehicle.

If a distance between the host vehicle and the other vehicle decreases,the controller may output a driving signal for reducing the velocity ofthe vehicle at a predetermined ratio.

The decreasing in the distance between the other vehicle and the hostvehicle may mean that the velocity of the other vehicle is faster thanthe velocity of the host vehicle.

The controller may output a driving signal for reducing an distancebetween vehicles if a distance between the host vehicle and the othervehicle increases.

The controller may output a driving signal for increasing the velocityof the vehicle at a predetermined ratio if a distance between the othervehicle and the host vehicle increases.

The controller may output a driving signal for changing a distancebetween the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle by furtherconsidering the velocity information of the vehicle.

That is, when the host vehicle changes a distance between vehicles, itis possible to change the distance between vehicles in consideration ofnot only the velocity of the other vehicle but also the velocity of thehost vehicle itself.

Specifically, when the velocity of the host vehicle is less than thevelocity of the other vehicle, the controller may output a drivingsignal for increasing the distance between the distance between the hostvehicle and the other vehicle.

In this case, the velocity of the other vehicle is a case where thevelocity of the host vehicle is high, and since it is safe and efficientfor the host vehicle to try to change lanes after the other vehicleproceeds first, the distance between the distance between the hostvehicle and the other vehicle can be increased.

If the velocity of the host vehicle exceeds the velocity of the othervehicle, the controller may output a driving signal for reducing thedistance between the host vehicle and the other vehicle.

In this case, the velocity of the other vehicle is a case where thevelocity of the host vehicle is slow, and since it is safe and efficientto try to change lanes quickly, the distance between the host vehicleand the other vehicle can be increased.

The controller may output a driving signal for changing a distancebetween the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle based on the width ofthe self lane on which the host vehicle travels.

The controller may generate a virtual path from the self lane to theother lane based on changed distance between the host vehicle and theother vehicle and position information of the other lane.

The above-described operation will be described in detail below.

At least one component may be added or deleted corresponding to theperformance of the components of the driver assistance systemillustrated in FIG. 3.

In addition, it will be readily understood by those skill in the artthat the mutual positions of the components may be changed in responseto the performance or structure of the system.

Meanwhile, each component illustrated in FIG. 3 refers to softwareand/or hardware components such as a Field Programmable Gate Array(FPGA) and an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC).

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a distance between a host vehicle anda preceding vehicle according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIG. 4, the vehicle may acquire position information of thepreceding vehicle based on signals from the camera module 101, the frontradar 120 a, the first corner radar 131 and the second corner radar 132.

Accordingly, the host vehicle can acquire the distance to the precedingvehicle F4. The distance between the host vehicle and the precedingvehicle F4 may mean a distance between vehicles d4.

Meanwhile, the vehicle may increase the distance between vehicles d4 byreducing the velocity, and may decrease the distance between vehicles d4by increasing the velocity.

Meanwhile, a driving signal output from the controller may be used tochange the distance between vehicles of such a vehicle.

The driving signal may mean a signal for controlling the driving portion200 of the vehicle. The drive signal includes a signal for acceleratingand braking the vehicle.

According to an embodiment, when the controller outputs a driving signalfor accelerating the vehicle, the distance between vehicles maydecrease.

On the other hand, when the controller outputs a driving signal fordecelerating or braking the vehicle, the distance between vehicles mayincrease.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an operation in case of another vehicleapproaches a host vehicle according to an embodiment, and FIG. 6 is adiagram for explaining an operation in case of another vehicle movesaway from a host vehicle according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the vehicle may acquire position informationof the other vehicle S5 and S6 located at the rear side of the vehiclebased on the signal acquired from the third corner radar 133 and thefourth corner radar 134.

Referring to FIG. 5, FIG. 5 shows a case where the other vehicle S5approaches the host vehicle 1. In this case, the other vehicle S5approaches host the vehicle, and the velocity of the other vehicleexceeds the velocity of the host vehicle.

When the user inputs a lane change command, the vehicle may notimmediately attempt to change lanes, recognize that another vehicle isapproaching, and increase the distance between vehicles d5 between thevehicles.

In the case of FIG. 5, when the host vehicle changes lanes after theother vehicle first changes lanes, it is possible to avoid a collisionwith other vehicle, and the host vehicle may increase the distancebetween vehicles.

Increasing the distance between vehicles by the vehicle may beaccomplished by the controller outputting a driving signal thatdecelerates the velocity of the vehicle.

Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 6, FIG. 6 shows a case where the othervehicle S6 is separated from the host vehicle. In this case, the othervehicle S6 moves away from the host vehicle, and the velocity of theother vehicle S6 is slower than the velocity of the host vehicle 1.

When the user inputs a lane change command, the host vehicle may quicklyperform lane change first before the slow other vehicle S6 approaches.

In the case of FIG. 6, when the host vehicle changes lane beforeproceeding with the other vehicle S6, a collision with another vehiclemay be avoided, and the host vehicle may reduce the distance betweenvehicles.

Reducing of the distance between vehicles by the vehicle may be achievedby the controller outputting a driving signal that increases thevelocity of the host vehicle.

Meanwhile, the operations described in FIGS. 5 and 6 are only anexemplary embodiment for describing the operation of the presentdisclosure, and there is no limitation on the operation of changing adistance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle inconsideration of the position and velocity of the other vehicle.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a lane change operation based on alane width on which a host vehicle travels, according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 7, the host vehicle may consider a lane width L7 tochange lanes.

Specifically, if the width of the lane on which the host vehicle 1travels is wide, the vehicle may attempt to change the lanes inconsideration of the position and velocity of the other vehicle S7 andthe lane width L7.

For example, if the lane width L7 is greater than a predetermined value,it may take a lot of time for the host vehicle 1 to change lanes, so thecontroller may output a driving signal for accelerating the host vehiclewhen the lane is changed.

On the other hand, when the lane width is narrow, a driving signal foraccelerating the host vehicle may not be output, such as when the lanewidth L7 exceeds a predetermined value in changing lanes.

Meanwhile, the operation described in FIG. 7 is only an embodiment ofthe operation of the present disclosure in consideration of the lanedistance, and there is no limitation on the operation of outputting adriving signal using the lane width.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an operation of generating a virtualpath for vehicle change according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIG. 8, the vehicle may generate a virtual path attemptingto change lanes.

The vehicle may determine a starting position (SP) to start the changeand a final position (EP) in changing lanes.

Meanwhile, the start position SP may be determined based on a change inthe distance between vehicles as described above. Specifically, when theother vehicle S8 approaches in forming a virtual path, a point at whichthe distance between vehicles is increased may be determined as astarting point.

Meanwhile, the vehicle may acquire a virtual path R8 capable of changinglanes while avoiding a collision with the other vehicle S8.

This path allows the vehicle to change lanes to the next lane.

Meanwhile, FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of a virtual path generated by avehicle, and there is no limitation on the virtual path acquired by thevehicle to change lanes.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 9, the user may input a lane change command (1001).

The host vehicle may acquire position information and velocityinformation of the other vehicle (1002).

The host vehicle may identify whether other approaches the host vehicle(1003).

Meanwhile, if the other vehicle having a higher velocity than the hostvehicle approaches the host vehicle, the host vehicle may increase adistance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle (1004).

In addition, when the other vehicle moves away from the host vehiclewithout approaching the host vehicle, the host vehicle may reduce adistance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle in order tochange lanes (1005).

Meanwhile, the host vehicle may set a virtual path in a situation inwhich the distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle isincreased or decreased (1006).

Meanwhile, the disclosed embodiments may be embodied in the form of arecording medium storing instructions executable by a computer. Theinstructions may be stored in the form of program code and, whenexecuted by a processor, may generate a program module to perform theoperations of the disclosed embodiments. The recording medium may beembodied as a computer-readable recording medium.

The computer-readable recording medium includes all kinds of recordingmedia in which instructions which can be decoded by a computer arestored, for example, a Read Only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory(RAM), a magnetic tape, a magnetic disk, a flash memory, an optical datastorage device, and the like.

As described above, the driver assistance system and the control methodthereof according to an embodiment can safely and efficiently performautonomous driving by adjusting the distance between the host vehicleand the preceding vehicle when changing lanes.

Although exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have beendescribed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art willappreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions arepossible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure.Therefore, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have not beendescribed for limiting purposes.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for assisting driving of a hostvehicle, the apparatus comprising: a first sensor mounted to a hostvehicle and having a field of view in front of the host vehicle, thefirst sensor configured to acquire front image data; a second sensorselected from a group consisting of a radar sensor and a Light Detectionand Ranging (LiDAR) sensor and mounted to the host vehicle, the secondsensor configured to have a field of sensing in front of the hostvehicle and acquire front sensing data; a third sensor selected from agroup consisting of a radar sensor and a LiDAR sensor and mounted to thehost vehicle, the third sensor configured to have a field of sensingbehind the vehicle and acquire rear side sensing data; and a controllerincluding a processor configured to process the front side sensing dataand the rear side sensing data; wherein the controller is configured to:in response to a lane change command being input, acquire positioninformation and velocity information of other vehicle traveling inanother lane corresponding to the lane change command based on the rearside sensing data, and output a driving signal for changing a distancebetween the host vehicle and a preceding vehicle based on the positioninformation and the velocity information of the other vehicle.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein in response to the distance between theother vehicle and the host vehicle decreasing, the controller isconfigured to output the driving signal for increasing the distancebetween the vehicle and the preceding vehicle.
 3. The apparatus of claim1, wherein the controller is configured to output the driving signal forreducing a velocity of the host vehicle at a predetermined ratio.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein in response to the distance between theother vehicle and the host vehicle increasing, the controller isconfigured to output the driving signal for reducing the distancebetween the vehicle and the preceding vehicle.
 5. The apparatus of claim4, wherein in response to the distance between the other vehicle and thehost vehicle increasing, the controller is configured to output thedriving signal for increasing a velocity of the vehicle at apredetermined ratio.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controlleris configured to output the driving signal for changing the distancebetween the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle based on velocityinformation of the host vehicle.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein inresponse to a velocity of the host vehicle being less than a velocity ofthe other vehicle, the controller is configured to output the drivingsignal for increasing the distance between the host vehicle and thepreceding vehicle.
 8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein in response to avelocity of the host vehicle being greater than a velocity of the othervehicle, the controller is configured to output the driving signal forreducing the distance between the host vehicle and the precedingvehicle.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller isconfigured to output the driving signal for changing the distancebetween the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle based on a width of aself-lane on which the host vehicle travels.
 10. The apparatus of claim9, wherein the controller is configured to generate a virtual path fromthe self-lane to the other lane based on the changed distance betweenthe host vehicle and the preceding vehicle and position information ofthe other lane.
 11. A method of controlling an apparatus for assistingdriving of a host vehicle, the method comprising: acquiring front imagedata; acquiring front sensing data; acquiring rear side sensing data;and in response to a lane change command being input, acquiring positioninformation and velocity information of other vehicle traveling inanother lane corresponding to the lane change command based on the rearside sensing data, and outputting a driving signal for changing adistance between the host vehicle and a preceding vehicle based on theposition information and velocity information of the other vehicle. 12.The method of claim 11, wherein the outputting of the driving signalincludes, in response to the distance between the other vehicle and thehost vehicle decreasing, outputting the driving signal for increasingthe distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle.
 13. Themethod of claim 12, wherein the outputting of the driving signalincludes outputting the driving signal for reducing a velocity of thehost vehicle at a predetermined ratio.
 14. The method of claim 11,wherein the outputting of the driving signal includes, in response tothe distance between the other vehicle and the vehicle increasing,outputting the driving signal for reducing the distance between theother vehicle and the host vehicle.
 15. The method of claim 14, whereinthe outputting of the driving signal includes, in response to thedistance between the other vehicle and the host vehicle increasing,outputting the driving signal for increasing a velocity of the hostvehicle at a predetermined ratio.
 16. The method of claim 11, whereinthe outputting of the driving signal includes outputting the drivingsignal for changing the distance between the host vehicle and thepreceding vehicle based on velocity information of the host vehicle. 17.The method of claim 16, wherein the outputting of the driving signalincludes, in response to a velocity of the host vehicle being less thana velocity of the other vehicle, outputting the driving signal forincreasing the distance between the host vehicle and the precedingvehicle.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein the outputting of thedriving signal includes, in response to a velocity of the host vehiclebeing greater than a velocity of the other vehicle, outputting thedriving signal for reducing the distance between the host vehicle andthe preceding vehicle.
 19. The method of claim 11, wherein theoutputting of the driving signal includes outputting the driving signalfor changing the distance between the host vehicle and the precedingvehicle based on a width of a self-lane on which the host vehicletravels.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the outputting of thedriving signal includes generating a virtual path from the self-lane tothe other lane based on the changed distance between the host vehicleand the preceding vehicle and position information of the other lane.